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“I didn’t even know there was a farmers market in February. Isn’t it like… too cold to farm?” Lois asked as she stepped out of the car, Clark holding the door open for her. She shivered and tightened her coat around her as a cold breeze wafted over her and Clark shut the door behind her. It was a gorgeous day, really. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, the first evidence of spring starting to appear in the flowers around town, but it was still just a little colder than Lois liked.
Clark moved Lois’ arms so he could button her coat and readjust her scarf around her neck. “There’s more than just produce, Lois. It’ll be fun!”
“Says the alien impervious to the cold,” Lois grumbled. Clark sighed and wrapped his arms around Lois’ waist, pushing her gently against the car.
“Do you wanna go somewhere else?” He asked, lifting a hand to push Lois’ hair behind her ear. Lois leaned into the touch, drinking in the warmth radiating off his hand and onto her cold cheek.
“No, no, you wanna be here, and I wanna be with you.” Lois smoothed her hands up Clark’s chest to land on his neck, flicking her gaze up to his as she smiled softly at him. “You’ll just have to warm me up later.”
“That I can do, Miss Lane.” Clark gave her his signature, dopey grin before leaning down and placing a lingering kiss to Lois’ lips. Lois wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him there as long as she could until he pulled away, but not before he gave another kiss to her cheek. She looked so cute, the tip of her nose red and a flush to her cheeks from the cold, all bundled up in her winter gear. He could stand there staring at her forever.
Instead, though, they pulled apart and Lois took his hand, intertwining their fingers and pulling so he’d follow her. Clark took a step forward with her on instinct, so conditioned to letting her take him wherever she wanted to go, but he stopped when he remembered something.
“The bags!” Clark scurried over to the trunk and Lois watched with amusement as he grabbed a couple reusable bags. One had The Daily Planet’s logo on it, and the other was a handmade quilt bag Ma Kent had sewn. Clark hung them both from his left arm and offered his right to Lois. “Okay, now we can go.”
Lois shook her head with a little chuckle, taking Clark’s arm and once again tugging him towards the market entrance. “Okay, what first?” She asked.
“Well, I have a list…” Clark started fumbling around in his pockets, searching for the shopping list he’d made as he spoke, “but really, part of the fun is just looking around at everything.” He finally pulled out the sticky note he’d been looking for, a triumphant smile on his face.
Lois scanned around, taking in what she could see. The market was pretty big, extending down the street two city blocks and then continuing on around the corners on the intersecting street. She could only see a dozen or so booths from their vantage point, and one caught her eye. “Oh Clark, look!” She pointed, and Clark followed her finger and grinning widely. He happily followed as Lois pulled him along, following the all too familiar scent.
“Hi! Have you tried our hot chocolates before?” The woman at the booth asked. Both Lois and Clark shook their heads.
“No, but we’re big fans in general, so we’d love to!” Lois answered. “What’s special about it?”
“Oh, it’s very special! It’s made from chocolate straight from Colombia, mixed with cinnamon and cloves. Try some!” The vendor handed them each a small cup with a mouthful of the warm drink in them. Lois took a deep breath in to smell the sweet, spiced aroma, Clark doing the same before they tried it and let out twin moans at the delicious taste.
“Yeah, that’s the stuff,” Clark sighed, closing his eyes and savoring it. Lois nodded in agreement.
“That’s so, so good! You said it’s Colombian?” Lois asked.
“Thank you! Yes, it’s chocolate imported from Colombia, and the recipe is my grandmother’s, passed down in my family to me,” the vendor explained with a proud smile.
“We’ll take two, please!” Clark spoke, handing over a twenty dollar bill. “You can keep the change.”
“Oh, thank you! Have a lovely day!” The woman handed over the two steaming cups of hot chocolate, Lois grateful for the warm cup to hold in her freezing hands, and Clark happy to have some of his favorite drink to sip on.
The next booth was a bakery, the smell of warm sourdough overtaking the scent of hot chocolate. The stand also had various pastries, and Lois looked up at Clark with a grin. He smiled back and nodded his chin towards the booth, encouraging Lois to lead him there. Lois scanned over the loaves of bread, delectable looking muffins, and all the other pastries.
“Mornin’! Can I get ya’ll anythin’?” The short, elderly lady asked from inside the booth. Lois hummed, mulling over her options.
“I’ll take a sourdough and two blueberry muffins, please,” Lois answered. Before she could dig out her wallet, Clark swooped in and handed over another twenty to the vendor. “Clark! I hate when you do that!” Lois swatted at Clark’s shoulder, and he just laughed, annoying her even more.
“You can buy lunch, Lo.” They both knew that was unlikely to happen. Curse Clark Kent and his stupid chivalry.
Lois harrumphed, but she smiled at the vendor as she handed Lois the bread and muffins, an amused smile on the woman’s face.
“Oh, let him be a gentleman, sweetheart, it’s the least a man can do.” She leaned in close, putting her hand up to her mouth to whisper to Lois, “I always say, a woman’s money is all her own, and a man’s money is hers too!” Lois laughed and the woman gave her a wink as she straightened up. “Have a nice day my dears! Stay warm!”
“You too!” Clark said, taking the goods Lois bought and putting them in one of his bags. “Okay, the next few booths are the ones on my list, and then we can just walk around, yeah?” Clark asked Lois as they stepped away.
“Sure thing, Smallville.” The two of them held hands as Clark hit up the booths he needed, stocking up on farm fresh eggs and seasonal produce. Lois watched him with a warm smile, knowing he was planning on cooking for her with those ingredients. Before Clark, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a home cooked meal, but now, he cooked dinner for her every night he could, and breakfast the next morning. Sometimes he’d even pack her lunch for work. She’d definitely never eaten so healthy in her life, but she made up for it in sweet treats, such as the hot chocolate the downed another large sip of.
“Okay, I’m set!” Clark spoke. The Daily Planet shopping bag was now stuffed to the brim, and Clark squeezed Lois’ hand.
“Let’s get lunch, I’m starving.” Lois yanked Clark’s hand towards the hot food section, where various vendors were cooking up cuisines from all over the world. There was Hawaiian, Taiwanese, Southern barbecue…
“I’ll get us a table to eat at and you can pick something out?” Clark asked. “Meet you there?” He gestured towards the parking lot behind the booths, where tables and chairs had been set up for market customers. Lois nodded in agreement, continuing to eye the options Clark kissed her cheek before he left, heading towards the tables until he was out of Lois’ sight. Then he pivoted, sneaking behind the booths until he got to the one he was looking for. Sharon’s Flowers.
Clark looked carefully at every premade bouquet, searching until he found the one he knew Lois would like best. He finally found one, full of white and purple flowers with green accents. He smiled and picked it up, taking it over to the vendor and handing the man some money. Clark then hurried back over to the tables, managing to snag one. He placed the bouquet against the leg of the table, hidden from view.
Lois, meanwhile, finally decided on getting her and Clark each a bento box from the Taiwanese food stand. She took the boxes from the young girl working the booth, thanking her before heading over to meet Clark. She couldn’t help the smile when she saw him, and it only widened when he dimpled back at her. She watched him lean down to grab something, standing up so she was able to see the gorgeous flowers he was holding.
“Aww Smallville, you shouldn’t have!” Lois set the food down on the table, taking the bouquet from Clark in one hand and using the other to grab him by the collar and pull him down for a quick kiss. “They’re so beautiful, thank you.”
Clark smiled sweetly at her as she admired the flowers. “I actually, uh, I wanted to ask you something,” Clark stuttered a little, rocking on his feet. Lois noticed a faint blush on his cheeks. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him.
“Trying to butter me up with some flowers, then?” She asked. Clark quickly shook his head.
“No! No, I just thought they were, um, romantic.” He scratched the back of his neck, and Lois continued to stare him down. “Right, I, well, I know we’ve talked about it, but I don’t want to make it seem like I’m pressuring you-“
“Clark, what is it?”
Clark took a deep breath. “Lois, I want to go shopping with you all the time.”
Lois tilted her head, a small chuckle coming out of her. “That’s not a question.”
Clark laughed nervously. “No, yeah, that’s not the question. I mean - I want to go shopping with you, because we’re buying groceries together, because we live together.” Clark took another deep breath as Lois’ eyes widened. “Lois, will you move in with me?”
Lois froze, but only for a second. A year ago, that question would’ve terrified her. She had been on her own so long, and she was so used to it. Comfortable with it. Clark changed everything. Suddenly, here was this person who she actually wanted to be around, and they had talked about it. They both wanted it.
Lois smiled softly at him, nodding her head and feeling warmth spread through her despite the chilly air as he took on a relieved, hopeful look. “Yeah, Clark, I’d love to.”
Lois squealed as she was suddenly swept off her feet, Clark picking her up and twirling her around in an overwhelming hug. “You’re gonna crush the flowers, Smallville!”
“Oh, sorry, sorry!” Clark gently set her down, but he kept his arms around her. They both grinned at each other, Lois carefully placing the bouquet on the table so she could wrap her arms around Clark’s torso and rest her head on his chest. “I’m just really happy you said yes.”
Lois laughed, leaning her head up to look at him. Clark cupped her face in his hands, brushing his fingers over her cold cheeks and nose. They kissed, chaste, both wishing they were not in a crowded area so it could be deeper. Lois squeezed Clark’s middle. “I love you,” she spoke softly. Clark kissed her forehead.
“I love you too,” he replied. They stood there for a minute, blissful, before finally breaking apart and sitting down to eat their lunch.
“I’ve actually never been to a farmer’s market before,” Lois said before taking a bite of rice.
“Holy cow, really?” Clark asked.
Lois snorted. “Cow? Really?”
Clark rolled his eyes. “Not the point. You’ve really never been to one?”
Lois shook her head, and Clark’s jaw dropped. “I have to take you to Smallville’s! Every summer growing up I worked at our family booth! Ma and Pa hire local kids now, but it was so much fun.” Clark smiled at the memories playing in his head. “You get to know everyone, seeing them every weekend, both vendors and customers. It becomes a real community.”
Lois smiled hearing about Clark’s childhood. “I’d really like that.”
Clark grinned wider, starting to ramble on about his memories from the market growing up, and Lois listened happily, taking in every word he spoke and thinking about how she couldn’t wait to start the next step of their lives together.